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Returning students will notice something new on the menu at Collins this fall: a brand-new look. Work on a $470,000 aesthetic overhaul of the College's primary dining room is in progress, with highlights to include new ceilings with wood beams, updated lighting treatments, new carpet and transitional slate flooring, wall coverings, and paint, new window treatments, artwork, and chairs, refinished tables, and new conference tables.
The project is the first in at least a decade to modernize the student dining hall, which was looking "worn and very out-dated," says Robin Aspinall, CMC treasurer and vice president of business and administration. The chairs alone have required constant repair over the last few years, she said. As well, "the lighting is bad, and the ceiling tiles needed replacing," Aspinall says.
CMC has been working with Webb Design on the project, the same designer that led the remodel of Frary Dining Hall on Pomona College's campus, as well as various dining facilities at UCLA. However, the work is actually being managed in-house to save money, says Aspinall.
The budget for the Collins facelift includes a contribution of $70,000 from Bon Appetit, the College's contract food-service provider, toward updating the serving area, which will feature new ceiling tiles, new lighting, re-facing of cabinets, and sporadic slate in the floor, that will tie into the dining room.
Aspinall was part of a renovation committee assigned to the Collins remodel, which also included Torrey Sun, CMC's vice president for student affairs; Jeff Huang, dean of students; representatives from facilities and campus services; Pam Franco, general manager of dining services; and students Ann Lyons '04 and Marc Bathgate '05. The Buildings and Grounds Committee of the Board of Trustees approved the project in 2002. Completion is expected in early July, Aspinall says.
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On a recent Monday morning, hundreds of wooden chairs from Collins were selling for $5 a piece. The chairs, many worn and scratched, will be replaced, and paired with refinished dining tables.
Ceiling tiles in the conference room at Collins will be updated as part of the $470,000 renovation project, with expected completion in early July.
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